The Day They Said "Forever and a Day"
Preface This is one of the magical elements of FAD. It did not happen within the timeframe of the book; it occurrs within a flashback in the first book, and many books afterward come back to that moment. The Events The year was 2011, and Meghan, Shane, Dara, and Charlotte were all in NYC for separate reasons. Meghan was there for a computer tournament; Shane was there with his fellow drama friends to make a performance; Dara was there on a family trip; Charlotte was there to play clarinet in a youth summer orchestra. Their trips overlapped by only one day, and they decided to use this day to meet in person and have fun. They wanted to meet in Central Park at 10:00 AM and spend the entire day hanging out. Meghan and Shane arrived at the same time, Dara arriving soon after. They got to talking, deciding to say in the park until Charlotte arrived. During this time, the subject of their friendship arises. Meghan, Shane, and Dara all say they pledge to be friends "forever and a day." Charlotte arrives late, and Dara asks, "Do you promise to be friends with us forever and a day?" She says "yes;" note: she never actually says "forever and a day." The rest of their day together goes on somewhat normally, unless I decide to expand upon it later. Meghan and Shane's Outcome Meghan and Shane say "forever and a day." These words bind them together for all of eternity, meaning that nothing can keep them apart, even the distance that divides them. The "spell," so to say, keeps them friends even during the toughest times of the series. Dara's Outcome Dara says "forever and a day," so for the time afterward she is bound to them as well. However, she resists the "spell" and pulls away for years, eventually breaking free of it. This, however, causes a drastic change in her personality; the fact that she disobeys her fate as part of the friendship turns her into a depraved and revengeful person, which contrasts her original caring and loving attitude greatly. Theoretically, if Dara were to pledge her friendship to the duo again and were to say "forever and a day," it may be able to save her and return her to her kind ways, however she never does. Although she does make a few genuine attempts to reignite her friendship with Meghan and Shane, she is ultimately unsuccessful as she never says "forever and a day." Charlotte's Outcome Charlotte never actually says "forever and a day." For this reason, no matter how hard she tries to be part of the group, she never can be unless she says the words. However, when she sacrifices herself for her friends in the last book of FAD, she says "I will love you guys forever, okay? Forever and a day." This causes her to become part of the group for her final moments of death. This will also have some significance in FAD's followup series, FAA. Other Characters and Their Outcomes